Employment

and Social Businesses

The Arab Bedouin community of the Negev faces a variety of challenges related to employment and economic development

Unemployment stands at

among Bedouin men

30%

among Bedouin women

80%

The community is the most economically disadvantaged in Israel due a number of factors, including less investment historically by the government, geographic distance from the country’s center and cultural difficulties in integrating into the mainstream Israeli workforce.

For the past decade, AJEEC-NISPED has initiated, developed and implemented innovative eEconomic development employment-focused programming that combines social perspectives with practical solutions. We believe that communities themselves best understand which strategies and solutions fit their needs and lifestyles, alongside government programs.

We help establish small businesses that employ both women and men, support women from the most disenfranchised populations in joining the workforce and train exceptional young people to become qualified professionals in the Negev’s emerging hi-tech and industrial sectors.

One of our core strategies is open and operate social businesses that combine the concepts of profit and welfare

The Al Sanabel Community Kitchen, for example, employs socio-economically disadvantaged women who produce hot lunches for children in elementary and preschools, while the El Hudaj Women’s Sports and Recreation Center in Rahat addresses the growing rates of diabetes and obesity among Arab Bedouin women. The Center includes a sports complex and offers a variety of workshops and courses on health and fitness, exclusively for women. The Jawla Tours Initiative offers educational guided visits to the Arab Bedouin community and the Negev, led by local members of the community.